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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. spell — letters
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. branch — a division
  6. spell — a short time
  7. face — part of the head
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. rush — hurry
  10. ground — crushed
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. ground — the earth
  13. clip — a video
  14. spell — magic
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. firm — a company
  17. clip — for paper
  18. face — to point toward
  19. ground — a position
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. firm — steady
  23. face — to confront
  24. clip — to cut

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com